


Waking Up In Unfamiliar Sheets

by messedupstargazer



Series: Saints and Sinners [2]
Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Aftermath of Lightning Strikes, Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Alternate Universe - Modern: No Powers, Barry Allen Isn't The Flash, Bisexual Barry Allen, Don't copy to another site, Gay Leonard Snart, I Made Joe Kinda Biphobic For The Sake Of The Plot, I'm Bad At Summaries, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, It Did Not Happen, Leonard Snart Is A Secret Softie, Leonard Snart Owns Saints and Sinners, Leonard Snart to the Rescue, M/M, Panic Attacks, Protective Leonard Snart, Referenced Pride, Sorry Not Sorry, implied anyway
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-18
Updated: 2019-11-18
Packaged: 2021-02-12 22:04:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21483577
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/messedupstargazer/pseuds/messedupstargazer
Summary: After the events of "The Savior" (Whumptober Prompt #21- Laced Drink), If you haven't read it, you might have a problem with this one but not necessarily. Barry wakes up in Leonard's Snart's guestroom, hand still clinging to Len's.  Only problem is he has no idea who this gorgeous man is and how he ended up in this bed.
Relationships: Barry Allen/Leonard Snart, preslash - Relationship
Series: Saints and Sinners [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1548526
Comments: 11
Kudos: 392





	Waking Up In Unfamiliar Sheets

Barry woke up slowly, stretching his body out over unfamiliar sheets. He couldn’t place the unfamiliar setting, focusing instead on that his hair was still sticky from the spray paint, his admittedly too short shorts were riding up, and his shirt felt much looser than he thought it should. There was also a weight in his hand he didn’t remember going to sleep with… actually, he didn’t remember going to sleep at all. He remembered Pride, dancing between a cute boy and girl, he was pretty sure their names were Cisco and Caitlin but he couldn’t be too sure. The music had been very loud. They’d wanted to keep the party going at a nearby bar, and then his memory got very fuzzy from that point on. So he forced his eyes open, and a pit of dread started to well up in his stomach. He didn’t know this room. He didn’t know this bed. He had no idea where he was. He pushed himself up slightly, his arms strangely weak, and he froze. There was a hand laced with his, and the man who it belonged to was simply… _stunning_.

Salt and pepper hair cropped close, a jawline so sharp it could cut glass, pink lips parted ever so slightly in sleep, muscles nearly bursting out of his shirt, and a strange ring on the hand that was still laced with Barry’s. The panic was still at the edge of Barry’s mind but time seemed to slow down the longer he stared at this sleeping stranger.

But the time variant couldn’t last forever, and the stranger’s eyes opened to reveal the most beautiful eyes he’d ever seen. They blinked slowly, his hand tightening around Barry’s, legs stretching out, as if his body had to be woken up piece by piece. A small groan escaped the now closed lips, but the hand had yet to release Barry. His heart began to quicken its pace.

“Hello, Barry.” The stranger smiled blearily, his voice too easy-going to help Barry’s fears. “Lord, I need some coffee. You want some?”

Barry stared at him. “How do you know my name?”

The stranger frowned before cursing. “Right, sorry. Takes me a while to wake up without coffee. I’m Len. You had to stay here last night.”

“Why?” Barry yanked his hand out of “Len”’s hand, scooting further away from him. “Where am I?”

“My apartment, just above the bar Saints and Sinners.” The stranger answered easily. “What do you remember from last night?”

Barry tried desperately to remember Joe’s tips for getting out of an unfriendly situation, tried to remember anything from last night.

_A bar… ordering a Grasshopper… feeling sick… rough hands running up and down his thigh… his arm hurting… a gentle touch brushing down his hair… being in someone’s arms…_

And that was it. _Oh god._

“What did you do to me?!?” Barry shrieked, his heart nearly bursting out of his chest. “I can’t remember… what did you give me?!?”

Len immediately put his hands up, interlocked them behind his head and knelt on the ground. It looked like he thought he was going to be arrested, but Barry barely realized he was trying to appear non-threatening. It didn’t really work as the muscles Barry almost drooled over flexed at the seams of the guys shirt.

“I’m not gonna hurt you, kid, I swear. I run the bar downstairs, it’s mine, and last night you came here after Pride, some jackass put something in your drink, and I brought you up here to sleep it off. You said they couldn’t find out, you were too out of it for me to ascertain who “they” were, but I did figure out you aren’t out to them, and I wasn’t going to send you to homophobes right after Pride.”

“How am I supposed to believe you?” Barry gasped, a vice squeezing around his chest. He must’ve been poisoned too, he couldn’t _breathe_.

“Does the name Tony ring a bell?” Len asked. “Tall, steroid muscles, aggressive, knew you in high school, dumb as a post?”

“Tony Woodward?” Barry asked, though he was pretty sure Tony Woodward was the only Tony in their high school who fit the description.

“I didn’t catch a last name.” Len sighed, still in his same position. “He did have a tattoo on his right bicep, a swirly bear claw type thing. I only got a small glance at it.”

“That’s Tony Woodward.” The vice was still there, but Barry’s rational mind was taking over. “He was the school bully, liked to pick on me. Shove me into lockers, spread rumors, beat me up, the usual.”

“I’m sorry.” Len said, slowly lowering his hands. “That must’ve been rough.”

“Wait, so how did I end up here?” Barry looked around, seeing nothing more than a simple guest room. “I don’t… remember.”

“It’s okay.” Len said. “A lot of people don’t. I’ve seen it a dozen times, each time there’s an ambulance and an asshole kicked out of my bar. Um, this position is hard on my knees, do you mind if I get up?”

Barry shook his head.

“Thanks.” Len groaned, standing slowly. “Oh I’m getting too old for this. 

So. Last night. You got away from Tony, he slipped you a roofie, I don’t know how or when but you eventually ended up in the employee bathroom, where I just happened to be. You managed to tell me you were drugged and Tony tried to get you to go with him. He… won’t be threatening you or anyone else again. I made sure of it.”

Barry’s heart dropped at Len’s simple smirk.

“You _killed_ Tony?!?”

“What? No! I didn’t kill Tony!” Len shouted. “I kicked him out of my bar! I told him that if he ever did this to anyone else, I’d make him regret it. He implied everything else himself.”

Barry let out a breath. “Okay. I’m sorry. You didn’t kill Tony. You saved me. You saved me from-”

Like a freight train, it truly hit Barry exactly _what_ Len had saved him from.

“Kid, it’s okay. You’re safe here.” Len’s voice was becoming distant, the vice in his chest becoming unbearable. It squeezed him until he was sure he had suffocated, the lack of oxygen making his hands shake, nausea rolling in his stomach, his head filling with fog. He could’ve been hurt, he could’ve been _killed_. Tony had always been an asshole, but to drug him? What could he have wanted? Barry knew, he could almost feel Tony’s calloused hands on his body, touching him, _hurting_ him-

“There’s no one hurting you,” a voice barely penetrated the fog, a strong voice spoken with conviction, “you escaped. You weren’t hurt. Focus on my voice. You have enough air. You can breathe. Nothing happened to you. I know you’re scared, but it’s okay. Can you take a slow breath for me, Barry?”

With too tight lungs, he took a small breath in.

“That’s a good try, Barry.” The voice was getting stronger, the fog starting to dissipate with every shaky breath he took. He concentrated on Len’s strong voice, never wavering, and soon the vice on his chest began to loosen. “There we go. And another one, there we go. You’re okay, kid. You’re okay. Another deep breath, you’re getting it. You survived. You’re okay. No one is hurting you. Deep breath in, good job. Now let it out.”

They continued like that until Barry’s rational mind had regained its control over his body. Barry found himself tucked into Len’s arms, his head resting on Len’s shoulder, tears streaming down his face, Len’s fingers gently brushing through his hair, scratching lightly at his fresh undercut that he’d just gotten the nerve to get.

“You back with us?” Len asked, his voice quiet.

Barry nodded, and pulled himself from Len’s comfortable embrace. He wiped at his face with his hand, smearing tears and snot all over him. Len then pointed behind him to a box of tissues.

“Thanks.”

“How ya feeling, kid?” Len asked, his voice still at the same level, as if Barry could shatter at any moment. He hated that. “I was tempted to call an ambulance but that would just leave us with the problem we had last night.”

Barry frowned, still wiping away errant tears. They stayed close to each other, but shoulder to shoulder instead of the embrace they were just in.

“I’m not sending you back to homophobic house with that on.” Len gestured to Barry’s outfit. “I know what it’s like to get your ass beat, I’m not sending somebody into that. And I’ve been doing this long enough to talk someone out of a panic attack, for the most part.”

A light flicked on in Barry’s head. Len must’ve meant Joe.

“He’s never hurt me.” Barry said, then realized Len must need more than that. “Joe’s a good man, it’s me that’s screwing it up with all of this.”

Len’s features steeled.

“You are not a problem, Barry.” Len’s voice felt like a wind chill of negative ten. “The problem isn’t your sexuality, it’s his for not accepting you. I don’t care what some thousand year old book says or some outdated textbook. You are _not_ the problem.”

“That’s not what I meant.” Barry scratched at his neck. “I actually have no idea if Joe would accept me or not, I’ve just never found the courage to try.”

Len pursed his lips. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, like, you know those people who say oh it’s okay to be gay but behind closed doors they’re secretly hating their own kid?” Barry asked. “I don’t think that would be Joe, but… I don’t know for sure. I’ve spent a lot of time afraid so I ended up just not bringing it up.”

“You were very insistent last night that he couldn’t find out.” Len said. “Your inhibitions were lowered, your anxiety wouldn’t be talking. You could barely talk at all, and you managed to tell me you couldn’t go back to him. So tell me, don’t you think there was a reason for that?”

Barry floundered for a moment. “Joe would never… at least, I don’t think. No, he’s raised me. He couldn’t.”

“Forgive the deviation, but why do you call your father Joe?” Len asked, as if trying to ask a second question silently.

Whatever it was, Barry missed it.

“Oh, Joe isn’t my birth father.” Barry said. “My birth father became… unavailable and incapable of raising me when I was little so Joe took me in. He’s been like a father to me in every other way.”

“A real father loves his kids, unconditionally.” Len said, and Barry could tell he wasn’t speaking from experience.

“You don’t understand, I’m not saying this right.” Barry sighed. “It’s gotta- I’m not the best with words.”

“Are you out to anyone that knows him?” Len asked, seemingly switching tactics.

“My sister, Iris.” Barry said. “His daughter. She’s known for a while now.”

“And?”

“She’s been nothing but supportive.” Barry said, a small smile overtaking his face at Iris’s memory. “She couldn’t get today off, she works at Jitters so they needed all hands on deck. Otherwise, she would’ve been here with me.”

“So you came alone to Pride?” Len asked.

“Yeah.” Barry admitted, blushing slightly.

“Alright, because otherwise I was going to say you needed new friends.” Len said. “No one but my staff noticed something was wrong with you.”

Barry then wisely decided not to bring up Caitlin and Cisco, he’d only met them yesterday and couldn’t have known any better.

“Thank you for that, by the way.” Barry said. “For noticing.”

Len gave a soft smile, one that sent a strange thrill down Barry’s spine. “Part of the life here, kid. Comes with owning a bar.”

“Still, not everyone thinks it’s their responsibility so thank you.” Barry insisted.

Len gave a small nod. “So what do you do, Barry? We didn’t have much chance to get acquainted last night.”

Heat flooded Barry’s cheeks, his mouth immediately trying to find words his brain didn’t have. Len frowned at him.

“You’re turning scarlet, you okay?”

“I… used to be a CSI.” Barry admitted, unable to meet Len’s eye. Even though he barely knew the guy, he still felt like he was disappointing Len. He felt like he was disappointing the world with admitting it.

“Used to be?” Len asked. “Crooked or flunked out?”

Surprisingly, Len’s voice held no judgement. Like it didn’t really matter why Barry lost his job and they were having easy conversation.

“Neither!” Barry snapped, but then reined in his temper. Len was obviously trying to make him comfortable and it would be rude to respond with cruelty. “I was struck by lightning in my lab about six months ago, because the skylight was open and I was holding the metal chain trying to close it. After I was struck, I had to leave. Lightning leaves some rather unpleasant side effects. I kept dropping evidence, because of the… tremors and panic attacks. I lost a lot of coordination and I forget stuff a lot. Made working with time sensitive evidence a… challenge.”

The pain in Len’s eyes was genuine. “Didn’t they give you any medical help instead of forcing you out?”

“I was on medical leave for a while but a CSI needs a steady hand.” Barry flinched at the memory of a rookie uniform shouting at him to be careful after he’d dropped a test tube of swabbed DNA evidence. “I dropped too much evidence, of what evidence I remembered to run. The Captain didn’t force me out, but… I could tell I wasn’t wanted in the evidence room anymore. So I quit. Haven’t really found a steady job after that. Why I had to move back in with Joe. Couldn’t pay rent.”

“Well, how about here?” Len offered, the sincerity throwing Barry off. There hadn’t been an ounce of pity in Len’s voice. “I know I don’t really know your resume, but being a CSI honestly does my background check for me, and I’m sure we can find space for you.”

Barry just stared at him.

“I mean, I don’t have an open slot exactly, we weren’t actively hiring, but I could still use a floater.” Len continued on, either unaware or uncaring of Barry’s gaping mouth and bug eyes. “Ever since my sister moved away for college, we could use an extra pair of hands, and since you’re about the same age-”

“I’m twenty-six!” Barry protested.

Len gave an unimpressed glare.

“Check my ID if you don’t believe me!” Barry snapped, patting down his pockets. “I’m sure I have it around here.”

Len’s soft smile returned, a mirth in his eyes that made Barry’s heart skip a beat.

“All right, I believe you.” Len put his hands up, his voice tinted with laughter.

A small chuckle escaped Barry’s lips without asking.

“We could still use someone.” Len insisted. “I know it’s not much, but I pay more than minimum wage. We could figure out getting some hours for you, when you’re ready.”

“Oh, Len, I really appreciate it, but I can’t.” Barry sighed. “I’m really not kidding about how much stuff I drop. It’ll be in my hand one minute and the next thing I know, it’s shattered on the floor. And it’s anything at random, not just anything heavy. My wallet, swabs, like fifty pens… test tubes. Or I’ll have it in my hand and I’ll forget it’s there. Like when you lose your phone so you call someone to help? Like that, but all the time. I won’t be of any help to you.”

“Well, we just won’t give you anything too breakable or time-sensitive.” Len smirked, obviously pleased with himself.

“Thank you, but I can’t.” Barry said.

“Kid, if this Joe of yours can’t accept who you are, you need to get out of that house.” Len said. “No matter how much his daughter accepts you.”

“Yeah, I know you’re right.” Barry said, a pang of guilt eating at his heart. “I just don’t have… after the lightning strike, I lost a big chunk of my support system. I just forgot they were there. And my parents… couldn’t help. I just wish I knew, sometimes. I know I haven’t told him for a reason, but I wish I just knew one way or the other. You know?”

Len bit at his lower lip, and Barry’s breath nearly caught in his thought. Dammit, Barry, you dumbass bi, this man is trying to help you, stop ogling him!

“Actually I don’t.” Len said, and Barry suddenly became aware of how intimate this moment was. “I knew from the start that my father wouldn’t accept me. I’ve never had the luxury of thinking he could accept me.”

Barry nudged Len with his shoulder. Len nudged back with little force and a small smile.

“Well, anyways, the position is yours if you want it.” Len said. “And the guest room, if you do ever get your answer.”

Barry turned to look at Len in shock.

“What? You’ve already slept here once, might as well do it again.” Len shrugged, as if he hadn’t just opened his home to a stranger he peeled off the bathroom floor. “Besides, like I said, my sister is at college. This used to be her room. No one’s used it since.”

“I can’t just take your sister’s room.” Barry said. “Anyone ever tell you you’re way too generous?”

Len outright laughed at that. “Oh Scarlet, if you knew me ten years ago… no, no one’s ever told me that. No one’s ever given me reason to. I guess you’re just special.”

Len sent him a wink that made the irrational part of Barry’s heart decide he was now in love.

“I had a place to go when my father got… bad.” Len said carefully, but Barry could still hear the abuse that Len must’ve suffered. “And I’m not abandoning someone to what I always wanted when I have the ability to help. I ain’t Mother Teresa, but you’re one of us, and we gotta stick together.”

Barry could’ve teared up again. No one had been this openly accepting of him, even Iris sometimes unintentionally made jokes and comments that made him uncomfortable. No one had so easily welcomed him into their arms.

So Barry threw his arms around Len.

Len stiffened at the contact, and Barry cursed himself out loudly in his head, but then relaxed into it. Barry pulled back after a moment, wiping at nonexistent tears.

“Sorry. Got a little caught up in the moment.”

“No need, Scarlet.” Len teased, and the air between them became comfortable again. “Besides, with your face and body, you wouldn’t last a minute on the street.”

Barry huffed, thoroughly offended.

“You know I’m right.” Len laughed. “You’re too pretty, Scarlet, you’d get eaten alive.”

“You think I’m pretty?”

It was Len’s turn to blush and stutter, to Barry’s delight. “I’m merely… stating an objective fact. You’re… highly attractive… by conventional societal standards.”

Barry laughed as if it was easiest thing in the world. He wasn’t sure exactly why, because of Len’s immediate acceptance of him, or because how he so easily fell into step with the man, or because of how he could definitely fill Barry’s wet dreams for the rest of his life, but he felt at home with Len. Like he belonged at Len’s side.

“I’ll take the job.” Barry said, saving Len from still sputtering. “But you don’t know what you’re getting yourself into with me.”

“Eh, I’ve already got a boy with a prosthetic arm, a man who sneaks around like he’s got his own personal tunnel system somewhere in another dimension, a deaf bartender, and a roommate who likes fire far too much for my sanity. I think I can handle you in the mix.”

“That’s quite a crew you got.” Barry said. “You sure I’m not gonna be the straw that breaks the camel’s back?”

“I’m pretty strong, Scarlet.” Len winked. “I think I can handle you.”

Barry nearly choked on air.

Len laughed. “Maybe _you_ can’t handle _us_.”

The phrase had been said casually but Barry swore he could hear the insecurity hidden in between the tone.

“I’ve been struck by lightning, lost my parents at a young age, and handled living through the foster system for a while. I can handle anything.” Barry revealed, unsure why but found himself uncaring after seeing Len’s posture relax. “Besides, I could use some extra cash to start saving up for another apartment. Home-cooked meals are great but I miss my… independence.”

Barry wasn’t the best at flirting, actually he was probably at the bottom of the list, but Len seemed to get his drift.

Len rolled his eyes fondly, then produced a pen out of a desk drawer. He grabbed Barry’s arm, gently and Len’s touch sent a thrill down his spine, and wrote a number across Barry’s skin.

“You start Monday.”

**Author's Note:**

> I owe this to DancingEyes, who gave me the idea. So Thank You darling!
> 
> Hope you liked it! I wasn't originally sure about posting it, I mean, it wasn't my most popular work so I wasn't sure if anyone would like a sequel but I wrote it and I thought well I may as well. I've already gone to the trouble of writing the damn thing. If you liked it, leave a comment or kudos, I adore them all!


End file.
